Team Bike Raptor is a collaboration project between LTU and University of Detroit-Mercy (UDM) and the group is comprised of three students each from Biomedical Engineering students (LTU), Mechanical Engineering and Nursing (UDM). The goal is to design and fabricate a working device for our client who was in an automobile accident and sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) that left him with incomplete quadriplegia. The client has made some recovery and he has recovered some of the movement in his arms. It was determined that a custom exercise device will aid in his rehabilitation. The machine, Bike-Raptor, targets strengthening of muscles and increasing range of motion. The design allows the client to push on pedal-like handles attached to a wheel with magnetic resistance mechanism. It is our hope that this machine will improve his rehabilitation efforts so he can gain independence at a faster pace than without this type of exercise.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The DENSO North America Foundation has awarded $50,000 to Lawrence Technological University (LTU) to help create a new multi-disciplinary bio-robotics lab that will benefit students in two growing bachelor’s degree programs in biomedical engineering and robotics engineering. Students in traditional programs in electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering will also benefit.

The new human-robot interaction facility, which is expected to be operational by the end of the year, will support new instruction in sensing, wireless communication, 3D perception, planning and navigational control. LTU students will study how to design sensing and control networks for robots that can safely operate beside or work cooperatively with people to extend or augment human capabilities.

The new lab will be unique in the Metro-Detroit region and will help the university build partnerships with industry in robotic manufacturing and medical care. An existing lab is being repurposed to include the two Kistler® forceplate sensors installed into the floor as well as a 16-channel Delsys® wireless EMG system and a development kit of Shimmer® wireless sensors and software. The equipment will be synced together through the existing Vicon® motion capture system in LTU’s Experimental Biomechanics Laboratory.

The mission of the DENSO North America Foundation is advancing innovation in engineering technology and automotive engineering.

In 2008, Lawrence Tech introduced the first bachelor’s degree program in biomedical engineering in the Metro Detroit area and in 2011 introduced one of the first bachelor’s degree programs in robotics engineering in the country. Rapid enrollment growth in both programs has led to LTU’s commitment to expand academic facilities of both programs.

The strength of LTU’s robotics engineering program was recently cited in the U.S. News “Best Colleges 2014” guidebook.

According to LTU Assistant Professor Eric Meyer, who teaches courses in biomedical engineering and developed the grant proposal, the rapidly expanding use of robotic technology has created the need to build robots that can interact with humans both effectively and safely.

“This approach requires new sensing systems that measure the movements and intent of human workers to design more advanced control strategies and create intrinsically safe robots,” Meyer said.

Faculty from several departments in LTU’s College of Engineering are working together to build an innovative, multi-disciplinary engineering program that can help develop next-generation robotic systems.

“The equipment funded by this grant will allow LTU’s College of Engineering to provide practical, hands-on experience to students that is multidisciplinary in nature and focused around the topics of sensing, perception, and control in next generation robotics,” Meyer said.

A new generation of robots will need greater safety features in order to work in close support with human partners, according to LTU Assistant Professor Giscard Kfoury, who directs the robotics engineering program.

According to Assistant Professor Kun Hua in LTU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the robots have gained a form of intelligence with the help of visual sensors – generally called machine vision or computer vision – and artificial intelligence, which helps them to respond according to the situation.

“The use of sensors has taken robots to the next level of innovation. Sensors have increased the performance of robots through adaptive multimedia signal processing techniques, which allow the robots to perform several human functions,” Hua said.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 7 percent of universities for return on undergraduate tuition investment, and highest in the Detroit metropolitan area. Lawrence Tech is also listed in the top tier of Midwestern universities by U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review. Students benefit from small class sizes and experienced faculty who provide a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus include over 60 student clubs and organizations and a growing roster of NAIA varsity sports.

The biomedical engineering and life science faculty have been busy this past summer implementing new activities and opportunities for our freshman through senior students. Returning students have noticed that room E108 – Bioinstrumentation Lab now has a new look. The biomechanics gait analysis laboratory has secured funding from the DENSO Foundation to support research in human and machine interaction (see story on page 3). We are very excited about this collaboration with the electrical engineering and robotic engineering programs. Freshman students are enjoying working in the new collaboration space in room E109. When you are on your way to the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope or the BioMEMS laboratories, stop by to check out the new learning environment.

The Life Science Advisory Board welcomes two new members. Mrs. Janelle Schrot from Materilize (MIMICS suite) and Dr. Ren Yu from Terumo Heart. We look forward to working with these members and organizations as we continue to improve and expand the biomedical engineering program.

Finally, the biomedical engineering program thanks all the students and alumni who accepted the invitation to participate in the focus group meetings in the spring semester. The focus groups provided valuable input on the needs and expectations of program graduates. The biomedical engineering program educational objectives articulate the expected capabilities of graduates 3 to 5 years after graduation and they are:

Graduates of the BSBME program apply foundational sciences and a wide range of engineering principles in order to lead cross-functional teams developing, designing, and verifying the function of medical technologies and services.

Graduates of the BSBME program conduct translational biomedical engineering research while adhering to government compliance requirements and regulatory protocols.

Graduates of the BSBME program exhibit and demand the highest ethical and safety standards in their research and profession.

Graduates of the BSBME program are contributing members of the profession and society, and stay informed of current research and professional developments through advanced graduate studies and life-long education.

Congratulations on your acceptance to the Biomedical Engineering Program at Lawrence Technological University and welcome back to our returning students. On behalf of the Biomedical Engineering Society Student Chapter, I would like to welcome you to the program and introduce you to some of the benefits of becoming a member of BMES.

BMES is a great organization and networking tool for Biomedical Engineering students. The BMES usually meets every 4-6 weeks and provides a great, much needed link between students and the Biomedical Engineering industry. Each year, BMES hosts various events at LTU, including guest lecturers, tours to outside facilities, social events, research opportunities, conferences and more. BMES aims to expose students to the vast applications of Biomedical Engineering. By involving yourself with student and professional organizations you will have the opportunity to socialize with other students with similar interests and build connections with professionals in the field. The networking connections established though partaking in BMES activities may serve an essential role in job placement after graduation.

The Biomedical Engineering Society Student Chapter at Lawrence Tech is thrilled to announce that our Biomedical Engineering program will pay for the first year BMES membership dues for all new BMES members at the freshman/sophomore levels (less than 60 credits completed by the end of summer 2013). If you’re interested in becoming a BMES member, please contact Dr. Li (yli@ltu.edu) or Dan Greenshields (dgreenshi@ltu.edu). The free first year membership is only open to freshman/sophomore students who are new to BMES.

Our first BMES meeting of the Fall 2013 semester will be held during the first month of classes. More information about time and location of the meeting will be made available to you via blackboard announcement. If you have any questions, or would like more information on how to join BMES, please feel free to contact me any time. We look forward to meeting you.

What are you up to now? I am working as a Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) Engineer at Terumo Cardiovascular Systems in Ann Arbor. I help to identify and fix systemic or high risk issues identified on our Class III medical devices or on our quality system.What is a typical day like for you? I get to interface with many facets of the company such as analyzing information from complaints or investigating problems. I really enjoy that I work with so many different departments like meeting with Design Engineers, discussing data with Software Engineers, and presenting summaries to the heads of departments. There’s a lot of running around but seeing a problem get fixed, or stopping a potential hazard feels great.How did your time at Lawrence Tech prepare you for your career? Lawrence Tech helped teach me how to communicate with people. Technical communication can often be a challenge and LTU really prepared me for discussing complex concepts. I use the statistics skills I developed at LTU almost every day since my job often requires working with large groups of data. Lawrence Tech helped me learn the core biomedical, electrical, and chemical concepts to understand obstacles and to implement a solution to overcome them.What organizations and activities were you involved in at Lawrence Tech? I was a member of LTU Boot Camp which helped me stay in shape throughout my college career and helped me make a bunch of great friends. I remember having a blast going to the great concerts, activities, and movies as well.What is your best memory of Lawrence Tech? I once got lost trying to take a shortcut through the Architecture building and stumbled upon a James Bond movie showing. I stayed to watch and after the movie I met a couple of friends who I still argue with about who the best James Bond is.What is one piece of advice you would give to the current BME student at LTU? Find a summer internship even if you have to get one in automotive, mechanical, or electrical. Many people transition from their internship into a full time job after college. Lawrence Tech will give you the tools for success, you have to put yourself out there so that you can make the connections that will get you a great job.

By John PeponisComments Off on Modiﬁcation of electrospun poly‐Ɛ‐caprolactone ﬁbers for enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation – Spring 2013 Newsletter

Team Members: Manan Patel, Emily Boggs, Ahmad Arabi

Faculty Advisor : Dr. Yawen Li

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is gaining popularity in the ﬁeld of tissue engineering due to its non‐toxic degradation byproducts and low-cost manufacturing method. It is also a markedly hydrophobic material, leading to subotopmal cell‐material interactions. Our study aims to chemically modify electrospun PCL ﬁbers to promote cell attachment, proliferation and extra cellular matrix (ECM) formation. This research project examines a two‐step modiﬁcaon technique to chemically and physically modify the surface of PCL to increase cell‐material interacon and surface roughness respecvely. The ﬁrst step ulizes sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to increase surface roughness with improved cell‐material interacons. Our preliminary results have shown decreased contact angle and increased surface roughness with NaOH‐treated PCL ﬁbers. Second step is to immobilize a common pepde sequence that is present in ECM of ﬁbroblast cell by covalently aaching it to the PCL surface. Changes in the PCL ﬁber surface topography, hydrophilicity and chemistry will be evaluated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurement, x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) respecvely. Human periodontal ligament ﬁbroblast (HPDLF) cells will be seeded on the PCL ﬁbers and their growth and proliferaon will be characterized using confocal microscopy, DAPI staining, AlamarBlue® assay and live/dead viability assay. We ancipate increased ﬁbroblast adhesion, proliferaon and matrix formaon on the treated PCL ﬁbers. The results will have important implications for the use of PCL ﬁbers as scaﬀold materials in regenerating a variety of tissues.